"Damn," she cursed softly as she took it all in. The tower was tall but seeing it from its base was quite the experience. This tower allowed no one to see the other end of the city, no walls could hide its beauty. It was also quite warm and inviting yet, Ravina’s hand still reached to her stomach. she couldn't feel it anymore, the scar burned in her mind, but she knew it was there, deep inside.

Slowly she drew in breaths. Releasing the air calmly as she felt her stomach settle. Was it nerves or fear? She didn't know, but now they wouldn't stop her anymore. It was pleasant to be a viewer, to watch the story unfold but now she was ready to begin the tale of her own. With a nod, she took a step and then another until she entered the magic tower.

It was just as beautiful inside as it was out. There was a clean feeling to the room, supported by the rich white walls. The walls looked like they were made from marble so pure that they gave off the light they absorbed. Everywhere one looked they could enjoy the view without the light hurting their eyes.

Even the smell was pure, a nice scent of gentle linen, clean and pleasant tickled the nose. It calmed one's mind and gave a sense of peace. The door led to a small room by comparison but large indeed from any other building.

The entrance led into a spacious room, impressive in its dimensions compared to typical buildings of the time. Despite its size, there was an intimate warmth to the space, making it both grand and welcoming. Several people were already present, engaged in various activities. In the center of the room, small groups conversed animatedly, their voices blending into a harmonious murmur. Others were speaking with tower representatives seated behind glass partitions

With determination, Ravina walks to one of the tellers, that is to say, one of the tower representatives. There are fourteen windows, but seven of them are not in use, so the young lady is able to find someone immediately. The woman behind the glass smiled as she approached. She has beautiful brown hair with a streak of green cascading from the left of her bangs, framing her face as it comes to a point at her collarbone. She is wearing dull blue robes that fall elegantly over her shoulders. "Welcome to the tower. Is there any way I can help you?" the woman asks with a pleasant smile on her face.

Ravina can only smile as she muses that this must be how Lady Eloise feels every time she tries to speak to her. Poor girl. Already she has a finger twisting in her other hand, trying to let the pain allow her to press forward. "Yes, ma'am," she finally manages to say. "I was hoping I could..." She gives a soft chuckle, the nerves fraying the edges of her mind, but in the end, she is able to say it. "I was hoping I could learn magic here."

To this, the receptionist's smile fades a little. "Well," she begins, tilting her head in thought, "classes are starting in about three days, and there is still some space available..." She hesitates as she looks at Ravina’s nervous smile, "However, there are a few restrictions. The more pressing ones could force you to wait another year. There is one that could bar you from learning magic entirely."

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"Oh," Ravina says, her smile widening unnaturally. "How lucky."

The receptionist matches her smile and continues, "Yes, you're in time to start. However, we do need either a letter of reference from a sponsoring noble or a letter of recommendation from the tower."

"I see," Ravina nods, letting out a soft chuckle. "Well, getting a noble's recommendation in three days does seem rather..." she trails off. Getting her fathers signature alone would take more than three days.

The receptionist nods. "Yes, such a thing would be very hard to do."

"So the only thing I should do is get the tower's permission, that is to say, a recommendation letter."

"That would be great," the receptionist says. "However, it's unfortunate, but it might take longer than getting permission from a noble," she adds with a worried smile.

"I see. Well, is there a time I could actually see a representative who could give me such a letter?"

"I'm so sorry," the receptionist replies. "Unfortunately, everyone is quite busy, and we don't have appointments for the next couple of months. I can schedule one for you."

Ravina nods. "I see. Well, that's a shame. All right, the next available appointment. It doesn't matter what time that is. Just send the letter to Crook-Beak Manor."

"Of course! May I have the name for the appointment?"

"Yes, it is Lady Ravina Ravenshield."

The receptionist notes the name and says, "All right, I will submit this and have an appointment for you at the next available time."

"Thank you very much." With that, Ravina gives a slight nod as she turns to leave. Despite being told she would have to wait for one year, the young girl had a skip to her step. As the receptionist watched her leave with a soft chuckle, she put some papers aside and began to fill out the request-for-meeting form, then froze suddenly as she was writing the girl's name.

"Ravenshield," she whispers. "No, it can't be. It can't be..." She keeps repeating the words over and over again before finally standing up and rushing through the door behind her, her face slightly pale.

Meanwhile, Ravina had already left the tower. It would have been a stroke of luck if she had been able to do it right after leaving the academy. Still, it was all right. She could use a bit of a break. She has some thoughts she needs to organize and isn't fully convinced that she is currently in a romance novel. After all, none of the guys she has met is worth looking at twice, she muses. But then her thoughts fall to a certain knight who saved her from an evil tower.

She pushes the thought from her head. Quickening her pace she tapped her head with a finger. "Just because he was literally your knight in shining armor doesn't mean..." she whispers to herself as she continues down the street. She decides she is having such silly thoughts because of a lack of sugar, so she quickly found a store to order quite a few desserts.